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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-9-27Nantucket Harbor & Shellfish Advisory Board Minutes of Special Meeting held on Sept. 27, 2011 Approved: Conference Room, 2 Fairgrounds Road Call to Order at 4:38 p.m. Members Present: Peter B. Brace, Dr. Peter Boyce, Bill Blount and Wendy McRae Members Absent: Michael Glowacki, Bob Rank and Doug Smith Marine Dept: Tara Riley BOS: Whitey Willauer Others: Matt Herr Approval of Agenda: Unanimous Chairman's Report: Dr. Boyce asked Mr. Willauer why the Board of Selectmen asked HSAB for its thoughts on the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's 15 -year Comprehensive Conservation Plan for the Nantucket National Wildlife Refuge. Mr. Willauer replied that HSAB has the most knowledge of fishing, shellfishing and marine resources within the town. Mr. Brace gave a brief review of the CCP, detailing the USFWS' three proposed options it wrote up to choose from for the management of its 21 acres of the tip of Great Point. He said that Option A is the take -no- action option under which the status quo, the current cooperative management by the Trustees of Reservations, the Nantucket Conservation Foundation and the USFWS of Great Point, the Galls, Coatue and Coskata would continue. Under Option B, the USFWS' preferred option, Option A's management plan would continue with several enhancements including the addition of a USFWS visitor service employee, a trail cut from the lighthouse to the point for people to walk out to the point when it was closed and year -round monitoring of shorebird and seal activity. Additionally, the USFWS would take a more active, cooperative role helping the TTOR and NCF manage their properties. Also, under Option B, the USFWS wants to acquire 1,790 acres of land elsewhere on the island to put into conservation, designate Coatue as a National Natural Historic Landmark, acquire Great Point Lighthouse from the U.S. Coast Guard and build an educational building where the Wauwinet gatehouse is today. With Option C, the USFWS would severely restrict oversand vehicle and pedestrian access to Great Point. Dr. Boyce noted that the USFWS also wants to partner with the Maria Mitchell Association for educational programs. He added that their holdings are only 21 acres and that the current management is working well right now. Mr. Blount agreed with Dr. Boyce. Mr. Blount and Ms. McRae both agreed with Mr. Brace and Dr. Boyce that the USFWS should choose Option A. Mr. Blount noted that as recently as the late 1970s to the mid 1980s, the lagoon on Great Point was open to Nantucket Sound and supported a healthy population of bay scallops. All members agreed that access to that resource should be protect in whatever option is chosen. Dr. Boyce asked if Mr. Herr and Ms. Riley had any comments on the CCP. Mr. Herr said he had not read the plan, so he felt he couldn't comment constructively. Ms. Riley said she wanted to ensure that access to Coskata Pond for aquaculture uses and recreational and commercial fishing. Dr. Boyce said that the Maria Mitchell Association is currently housing USFWS employees and in turn, using the USFWS boat to expand their access to resources to further their own cause. Dr. Boyce summed up HSAB's concerns for the BOS as follows: Option A should be preferred management plan option, continued access to Coskata Pond and the lagoon on Great Point for all fishing and shellfishing purposes, that the board supports the USFWS' aim to keep beach fishing as one of the primary uses of the refuge, but that, as Ms. McRae and Mr. Blount suggested, HSAB expects the USFWS to maintain access to the refuge for all types of fishing in perpetuity. Also, that HSAB does not support the USFWS acquiring 1,790 additional acres of land on Nantucket. Mr. Herr asked how the seal situation is going. Mr. Blount indicated that whenever he's out fishing off shore, he regularly sees them near Monomoy Island in varying numbers, but overall, "dramatically" less. Mr. Herr noted that if Option B is chosen and approved as the plan there would be continued conflicts between fishermen, seals and the USFWS, and said he is concerned about how much control Nantucket would have in resolving this conflict. Mr. Blount said that if great white shark numbers are increasing in our waters, they would reduce the seal population significantly. Mr. Brace reported he interviewed a seal researcher who told him that the gray seal is still federally listed as rare but that a reassessment of their status is in the works this fall because the populations are expanding exponentially. Mr. Blount said Mr. Brace's assessment of the gray seal population on the East Coast was accurate. Ms. McRae made a motion that HSAB recommend to the selectmen that they prefer Option A, in addition to HSAB's other concerns, for the USFWS' CCP for the Nantucket National Wildlife Refuge. Mr. Blount seconded Ms. McRae's motion. The board voted unanimously to approve Ms. McRae's motion. Adjournment: 5:21 p.m. Mr. Brace motioned for adjournment. Ms. McRae seconded. The board unanimously voted to adjourn Next Meetings: Oct. 4 and 18, 2011 Respectfully submitted, Peter B. Brace, Secretary